Thank you to everyone who has already taken part in creating M Shed. Here are some projects completed with your help. Look through, be inspired, and join us next time.
Share your story
M Shed is rich with incredible memories, stories and objects contributed by community groups and individuals throughout Bristol. Their stories create a vivid account of how Bristolians live and work in the city and how newcomers arrive and make the city their home. Sharing our stories helps visitors to make the connections between past, present and future generations of Bristolians.
Contribute your memories about Bristol
Donate an object to M Shed
What's a Bristolian?
People across the city have contributed words to describe Bristolians through the M Shed website, workshops and BBC Radio Bristol for a fun interactive in the Bristol Life Gallery. Visitors will be able to press a button - a bit like an old fashioned one-armed bandit - and the computer will randomly select four words describing a 'Bristolian'. Whatever the mix of words - the result is bound to spark discussion and debate.
When: October 2010 - April 2011
Greetings from Bristol
'Very interesting to see the other neighbourhoods of Bristol, some of which I haven't visited.'
Project participant
65 residents from 10 Bristol neighbourhoods created 'Greetings From' postcards to illustrate how their areas should be represented in M Shed. In the journey to create the postcards the participants collected 5000 new images, honed their photography skills, took part in discussions about their neighbourhoods and they uncovered previously hidden corners of Bristol, community stories and local pride.
Many more residents also contributed objects and ideas to represent the character of their locality for the neighbourhood display within the Bristol Place Gallery.
Bristol Sound Music project
15 young people put together the sound samples for the music interactive in the Bristol People Gallery. This allows visitors to create their own 'Bristol Sound'. Visitors can also see short films about music in Bristol to illustrate the links between Bristol, its culture, its music and its people.
The young people interviewed four world-class local musicians (Geoff Barrow, Andy Sheppard, Eddie Martin and Pete D. Rose) and traced the influence of the city's people and culture in shaping their sound.
Community partners: Basement Studio
On the Bus
We took the much-loved Bristol Lodekka bus on a 'farewell tour' of the city, making stops across the city along the way. 40 people got on board where we recorded their memories about travelling around the city much to the curiosity of a large number of passers-by!
Community partners: A range of older people's groups and history groups
Subvertising
15 young people advised three of Bristol's leading artists, Helga Gamboa, Graeme Evelyn and Motorboy, on their commissions to make new artworks for M Shed. The young people also took part in a 'mini' version of the commission to develop their skills, producing their own display at the City Museum on display.
Community partners: Fairbridge and Young Bristol
What's your opinion?
'It was fun because I learnt something new.'
Aisha
Over 30 people recorded their thoughts on democracy in the city. Young people and adults from 5 Bristol mosques came to a museum workshop to explore big issues that affect the city, which generated interesting responses and a great deal of enthusiasm. 18 more people shared their views about whether it is possible to define a Bristolian. Catch some of the wide-ranging responses in M Shed and vote on whether you agree with them or not.
When: December - April 2011
Community partners: Somali Development Group
Pen Friends
'It was wonderful, the descriptions were very clear and I learnt a lot from them.'
Jennifer Stirratt, project participant
Sixteen local visually impaired people tested the PenFriend, an audio labelling device from RNIB, to see how it could be used to improve access for visually impaired visitors to M Shed.
The device stores different kinds of audio content, including readings of gallery stories and descriptions of objects, which can be played back in any order. This allows visually impaired visitors to access as much or as little of it as they wish, like any other visitor.
The participants enjoyed using the PenFriend and appreciated the independence it gave them. It was satisfying to trial a device that will benefit other visitors to M Shed.
Community partners: Disabled People's Advisory Group
Family scrapbooks and digital stories
20 diverse Bristol families created colourful scrapbooks and digital stories looking in detail at their lives and the connections between them. You can see the scrapbooks and see the digital stories in the Bristol Life gallery. Take a look and have a go at making a scrapbook with your own family or friends.
Community partners: Single Parent Network (SPAN), refugee groups, Art and Power, Hartcliffe Dad's group
Living room
The museum took over a disused shop in Knowle's Broadwalk Shopping Centre for one week. Displaying a range of photographs, objects and records as a stimulus, we were visited by many local people who called in to learn about M Shed, and to donate their own 'stories' for the museum. We were lucky to hear Bristolian's memories and experiences of the city over the last few decades - from the Teddy Boy whose mum burnt his suit to terrifying stories of the Bristol blitz. We learnt a huge amount about what people in Bristol want to see in their museum.
When: 27 April to 2 May 2009
Joining & Leaving Bristol
On a freezing winter morning in 2010, around 200 shoppers at the Galleries Mall in Broadmead took part in the making of a new M Shed film which you can see in the Bristol Life gallery. Filmed in front of a screen to add different backdrops of Bristol, the film captures the huge diversity of people in Bristol along with their reason for being in the city. With a rolling soundtrack created by local musicians, the film is an amazing snapshot of Bristol's population.
When: 27 November 2010
China Wishes and Curiosity
"Everyone chipped in and everyone always had a smile on their face"
S.C. aged 15 years
27 young people carried out creative projects using objects from the museum collections. This produced valuable feedback for how the museum should work and created accomplished films interpreting objects from a young people's perspective - some of which will feature in M Shed. The young people also created imaginative designs for bags and postcards, these are for sale in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery shop.
As a result of this project, 1 participant progressed on to long-term work experience with the museum and 2 have contributed to recruitment of new staff at the museum
Partners involved: ECLAS, British Museum
View the films at:
http://youtu.be/OuXK_rmktFQ +
http://youtu.be/J0W3LSQ17FY
History Remix: The Bristol Black Archives Partnership (BBAP)
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2007, this alliance of African-Caribbean organisations and individuals has been actively collecting and promoting resources relating to African-Caribbean heritage in Bristol. Many hidden histories have come to light and the initiative has produced material and information for the displays at M Shed as well as a Teachers Pack. Check out the archival collections, which are available to research at Bristol Record Office.
When: Established in November 2005
Partners: various African-Caribbean organisations, Bristol's Museums, Galleries & Archives, the University of the West of England.
Ark at 'ee
We recorded local people speaking about the Bristol accent and special phrases that are unique to Bristol for an interactive in the Bristol Life gallery. Visitors can 'eavesdrop' on these conversations by pulling out the jacks on an old-style telephone exchange. Drop in to hear what Bristolians think about their accent.
When: November 2010 - April 2011
The Contributing Wrap
The People's Panel, a long standing advisory group who have worked with the service since 2007, worked together over several weeks' of challenging discussion to choose which Bristol people today who have improved the lives of people in our city, to celebrate in the Contributing Wrap in the People gallery..
When: Autumn 2010
Community Partner: The People's Panel at Bristol's Museums, Galleries & Archives
The M Shed Hoardings Project
12 young people designed high quality artwork for the M Shed hoardings in 2007 as part of its publicity campaign, learning new skills in the process and gaining an Arts Award.
When: July 2007
Partner: Gallery 37